When Lavani hit the wrong note, made Ajit Pawar see red

Last week, during the meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) cultural cell, noted Lavani dancer Megha Ghadge raised the issue of obscenity and vulgarity in dance performances under the name of Lavani programmes. “I did not target Gautami Patil in particular, but I raised the issue of absolute degradation of Lavani culture by using DJs and making girls dance wearing ghagra choli in front of the public. The producers who arrange such shows are the main culprits,” she told The Indian Express.

Ghadge even slammed her own party workers for inviting and arranging programmes of such dancers only to attract crowds. “I asked Ajit Pawar to take note of it and at least tell the party workers to not behave in this manner,” she said.

Pawar, who was present at the meeting, took serious note of it. Later, he warned all members of his party to desist from organising ‘vulgar and obscene’ dance performances in the name of Lavani. Though Pawar did not name anyone, the warning was against organising shows of Gautami Patil, the latest social media sensation.

Recently, organising live dance performances has become a huge hit in rural Maharashtra where a young crowd – almost all men – gathers to watch a group of female dancers perform to film songs, both Hindi and Marathi. The women are deliberately presented in sensuous clothes, making gestures to the crowd, amid loud cheers. Lavani veterans are finding it difficult to cope with this change even as some feel such programmes are taking their business away.

Patil’s rise to fame began more than a year ago after a short video of her making an obscene gesture during her live performance went viral on social media. The video made Patil an overnight sensation leading to an increase in ‘suparis’ or programme invites across the state. So much so that overcrowding at her events in many parts of the state led to a ruckus among the crowd and even a death of a person in Sangli district.

Patil, who hails from north Maharashtra’s Dhule district, was raised by her mother and shifted to Pune after studying till Class 8. “I always loved to dance but I never thought that I would feed my family using dance as my drunkard father never stayed with us. I started as a back dancer at a Lavani programme in Akluj town and now I have been performing for nine years,” Patil said in a press conference in Pune.

With fame came harsh criticism from veterans in the field. Surekha Punekar, a veteran Lavani dancer, slammed Patil demanding a ban on her ‘obscene programmes’. Speaking to a television channel, Punekar said, “Only those who want to excel in Lavani dance should be encouraged and those who wear inappropriate clothes and make obscene moves are not Lavani performers.”

Patil later said that she had apologised for her action on stage. “I was wrong. I have apologised and I have changed. Let me clarify that I have never repeated those actions,” she had said then, later adding that she was not a Lavani performer but a western dance enthusiast. “The DJ was playing and I got carried away,” she added.

The word Lavani comes from ‘lavanya’ or beauty. It is a traditional, folk art form where women perform and dance to the rhythm of the dholak with sensuous steps and teasing lyrics. Traditionally, it was performed in front of kings, lords and men of higher positions – especially in front of tired soldiers resting after the war. Over the years, Lavani gained more acceptability among people though certain taboos are still prevalent in society.

Seniors like Ghadge feel that the present-day Lavani performances with girls, DJs and money-hungry producers are getting worse than bar dance performances. “There are no guidelines, no censorship. Artists are losing respect in the eyes of people. Theatres are not being given for Lavani performances. I feel that such obscene and vulgar programmes need to be banned immediately,” she said, adding that a body should be set up exclusively for the Lavani art form to look into these issues and set guidelines.

According to Bhushan Korgaonkar, a researcher and author on Lavani tradition, bans have never served their purpose. “An art and artists should not be banned. It never serves the purpose. There have been instances in the past as well,” he said. Korgaonkar further added that a demand for a ban from artists themselves makes the matter more complicated. “A ban further leads to instances of crime or more illegal activities. In the age of social media and the internet, how can anything be banned?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Patil has once again apologised to Pawar, with one request. “I am an extremely small person to reply back to Ajit dada. I will not. But I only want to say that I have stopped making past mistakes. But what will happen to people who keep on circulating my old videos? Shouldn’t they also be asked to stop?” she asked.